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THURSDAY

Back in the early ’80s, the sounds emanating from Southern California changed the world for burgeoning white suburban punks like me. And though True Sounds of Liberty—that’s TSOL to you, pal—weren’t as funny as Black Flag, or as lovable as the Circle Jerks, or as inspiring as the Minutemen, they were certainly the more prophetic harbingers of punk’s defanged future. It’s hard not to hear the band in every neopunk abomination to hit the radio, which makes TSOL easy to hate—until you remember that they were playing their jacked-up brand of catchy Cali-punk when the Offspring was still a cynical twinkle in some major-label exec’s eye. Now the original TSOL lineup is back—sans drummer Todd Barnes, who’s keeping the beat for Darby Crash in Punk Heaven—and playing as hard, fast, and loud as ever. And if their new release (Disappear, on Nitro Records) is any indication, TSOL are every bit as moshable as they were back in the bad old days. From the faux affirmation of “Motivate” to the “Let’s go!” that opens “In My Head,” TSOL aren’t about to let encroaching middle age stand in the way of their ‘tude. So get your Mohawk out of the closet, punker, and dust off that old Black Flag tattoo. Let’s go do some crimes (like eat sushi and not tip). TSOL play with the Business and Agnostic Front at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 9, at Nation, 1015 Half St. SE. $12.50. (202) 554-1500. (Michael Little)